


None of His Business

by Kerfluffy



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: ChikaIzu, ChikaIzu from Juza's POV, F/M, One-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27100630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kerfluffy/pseuds/Kerfluffy
Summary: The best kept secrets are those hidden in plain sight; right underneath their noses with none being the wiser. Watch out! Hold your breath! Blink, and you’ll certainly miss it!Izumi/Chikage | One-shot
Relationships: Tachibana Izumi & Utsuki Chikage, Tachibana Izumi/Utsuki Chikage
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	None of His Business

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This has been sitting in my laptop for about a month now? The idea struck me ever since I read the translation of Juza's blog entry and I just couldn't help myself~ I hope you all enjoy~
> 
> Here's the link for the blog entry if any of you are curious~ Just scroll down a bit after Azami's post: https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=Troupe_Member_Blog#August_2020

Juuza stares.

He is completely, positively, and utterly clueless.

One moment the director and Chikage are doing an etude at the shooting gallery. The next thing they know, the etude is forgotten and it escalates into a full-blown match. An audience even forms around the stall!

Juuza quietly munches on his taiyaki as he watches their director shoot down another plushie.

Even from the sidelines, he could sense the intensity of the match. Each shot is fired with deadly accuracy. It’s clear neither party wants to lose.

The determination in their gaze and the ferocity of each shot reminds him of Picaresque. The tension grows thicker and it makes Juuza anticipate the next Autumn Troupe play, hoping they'd have as much intensity as the match before him.

Chikage isn’t much of a surprise. After all, Itaru always complains about the green-haired actor having unfair stats. The man seems to be skilled in _everything,_ and Juuza can’t decide whether he should be impressed or intimidated.

But seeing Izumi counter each and every one of Chikage’s shots with her own? Now _that_ is a sight to behold.

…

“I must say, you’re quite good at this.” Chikage says as Izumi fires another clean shot.

“Thanks,” Izumi exclaims and hands him the toy gun, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

He towers over her as he moves to take his aim, holding the gun with a single hand. “Let’s see how long your luck will last.” Another prize falls down, and Chikage smiles at her as he returns the gun.

Izumi’s expression immediately darkens at the implication. It’s a look that makes even the toughest members squirm. Yet Chikage’s taunting gaze doesn’t waver in the slightest.

“We’ll see, Chikage- _san._ ”

* * *

Juuza watches them with mild interest.

Izumi seems to be the only woman Chikage tolerates.

It's common knowledge among the troupe that Chikage avoids his female co-workers like a plague. Even his interaction with their women fans is limited and often involuntary.

But with the director, Juuza muses, it's different.

He talks with her, no matter how much he claims to loathe women; often about curry, sometimes about acting, but mostly just to tease her. He accompanies her to new curry shops and even to old ones she hasn’t visited.

Juuza isn’t quite sure about the latter, but he suspects. Partly because Masumi’s threats recently doubled in hostility. Mostly due to the familiar pair of hands caught in the background of Chika-usa’s semi-recent post.

Chikage _is_ different, Juuza confirms, as the said actor’s hands—deliberately?—brushes against Izumi’s as she gives him the gun.

Something's off, but it’s clearly none of his business.

* * *

Juuza sits in front of his laptop.

It's his turn to update the troupe’s blog and majority of the members agree that it would be nice to include anecdotes about the festival. Omi even gives him copies of last night’s photos.

But he’s stuck.

There's nothing particularly interesting about the festival aside from all the sweets he’d eaten. Juuza highly doubts that their fans would appreciate an entry solely dedicated to festival street-food.

If only he could write something eye-catching; much like that match between the Director and Chikage.

Juuza pauses. Should he write about that?

He glances at the pile of pictures sitting innocently on his desk. Maybe he’ll find something there?

...

Omi’s shots are amazing, but Juuza doesn’t expect anything less from the troupe’s resident photographer. Each shot captures the lively atmosphere of the festival, and a particularly great shot of the taiyaki stand makes his mouth water.

Juuza shuffles through a few more photographs until he reaches the last of the pile. It’s a group shot—probably taken after they gave away all the prizes from the shooting gallery.

It’s just as lively as any other pictures of the troupe. The adults’ poses are calm and simple—their expressions varying from a soft smile to a glower that would make any lesser person cower.

Sakyo-san’s expression is warranted, Juuza muses, as he observes the more rowdy poses of the youngsters and not-so-young-ones. Not that he was referring to Citron and Homare. No, not at all.

But amidst the semi-chaotic group, Juuza’s gaze trails towards the side.

Izumi beams at the camera. A wide grin sits on her lips as she holds a stuffed bunny in one arm. The bunny suspiciously looks like one of the prizes, but Juuza is sure they gave _everything_ away.

Chikage stands beside her with his usual condescending smirk on his face. His sharp gaze bores into the camera, and Juuza feels just a tad bit uneasy.

There is _nothing_ striking about them.

They stand at an appropriate distance; lacking physical touch except for their hands almost brushing against each other’s.

Their poses are also far simpler. Citron’s “Zahran Cheetah” pose and the puppy pair’s “Ultra Hype” Blam pose should’ve been more eye-catching than the couple at the sidelines.

Wait. What?

_Couple_?

Juuza pauses.

He suddenly shakes his head, as if the action would help dismiss his thoughts. It’s definitely none of his business. Besides, he has a blog to write. He doesn’t have time to dip his feet into the affairs of others.

But the thought nags at the back of his mind. Try as he could to resist, curiosity overpowers his self-control as inquisitive yellow eyes cast a final glance at the photo.

Maybe the sweets from the festival are getting to him because Juuza swears, the longer he stares at the photo, the more it seems like the director and Chikage are holding hands.

* * *

Juuza suspects. 

Because he was an outcast before joining the troupe. And being ostracized for most of one's life, left to watch from the sidelines, tends to make people into keen observers.

He can’t remember the moment he began taking note of the pair’s odd behavior. They are never explicit gestures nor changes. Some seem to be mere coincidences. Most times, Juuza isn’t even sure if it was real or if he’s just imagining things.

But for someone like Chikage—who has avoidance tendencies, attachments issues, and is as mysterious as they go—those mere coincidences spoke volumes. Not because they happened, though that in itself is already a clear signal, but because they happen repeatedly.

And so he notices.

How they angle themselves perfectly with each other when they speak. How they unconsciously copy the other's stance every once in a while. How they're both oblivious to the world during their curry outings.

How Izumi's gaze tends to shift to Chikage whenever she's delighted, excited, or amused. How she lights up the room when Chikage volunteers to help her cook curry. How her reactions gradually become less of genuine irritation and more of muted amusement.

How Chikage slows down and takes smaller steps so they'd be walking beside each other. How he always situates himself near their director. How his smirk suddenly becomes gentler—the edge of his lips softening into a small, miniscule smile before disappearing as quickly as it came.

Not to mention that time he brought home that pink curry for the director. Juuza couldn’t mistake the muted pride glimmering in Chikage’s eyes as Izumi gushed about the spicy pink dish.

It amuses him and confounds him at the same time. Yet Juuza says nothing, because it's none of his business.

* * *

Juuza wakes. It's the middle of the night. 

He has classes tomorrow. He should probably go back to sleep.

But Banri's snoring seems to be louder than regular and Juuza suddenly feels the need for a tall glass of milk. With maybe two or three cubes of sugar. And those sugar cookies that Omi always buys.

At the thought of the sweet treats, Juuza makes up his mind. He gets up, slips on his slippers, and heads to the kitchen.

The hallways are dark and starlight filter through the windows, serving as the only source of light. Sakyo-san always pesters the group about frugality. Lights should always be turned off and whoever forgets will have their allowance deducted.

So when Juuza finally nears the kitchen, he's surprised to see a dim glow emanating from the area. It was unlikely that someone forgot to shut the lights—Sakyo's threat ensures that everyone triple checks.

As Juuza nears the doorframe, he hears hushed voices.

He does not enter.

Instead, he stays still in his spot. It is not in his nature to eavesdrop, his mother taught him better than that! But somehow, Juuza finds himself glued to the spot, unable to move.

It was definitely the director... and Chikage-san—who seems to have just arrived, according to the snippets Juuza hears.

They continue to speak. Their voices remain hushed, and Juuza has to strain his hearing to catch their conversation. He knows he should return to his room before he gets caught. But curiosity gets the best of him for the second time that evening.

Mustering all his courage he decides to take a peek.

Juuza is caught off-guard by what he sees, but at the same time a part of him is smug for being right. Chikage pulls Izumi into a fierce hug and the latter doesn't resist. Juuza hears nothing but silence, holding his breath in anticipation.

Chikage eventually pulls away. The silence continues as they stare into each other's eyes, speaking a language that revealed more than words could ever dare. A warm smile graces Izumi's face and Chikage returns it with the most genuine smile that Juuza has ever seen on the man.

The scene unfolds before him, so peaceful and intimate that guilt suddenly crawls into Juuza's conscience. Like a splash of cold water, he realizes he's intruding. So he quietly retreats to his room, deciding that the milk and cookies could wait 'til tomorrow.

...

Juuza silently makes his way back to his room, their hushed voices fading and fading until all he could hear once more are Banri’s loud snores and mumbles of "Stupid Hyodo!"

Chikage probably knows they have an audience. Perhaps he knows Juuza was not one to blab. Or perhaps he couldn’t care less if the troupe finds out.

Maybe they aren’t hiding at all?

Then again, Juuza thinks, it's none of his business.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t happy for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 'Til next time~


End file.
